The present invention relates to hammerheads and, more particularly, to an improved hammerhead having means for facilitating initial driving of the nail or the like without the requirement of holding the nail in the hand of a user.
As is well known in the construction trade, it is customary practice to drive nails into a nailing surface by initially positioning the nail where desired by grasping the nail in one hand of a user and subsequently impacting a hammer held by the other hand of the user unto the head of the nail. This customary practice, however, has oftentimes resulted in harm to the fingers or hands of a user due to the hammer slipping off the nailhead during impact or has proven difficult in certain nailing applications where, for instance, the user was required to hold the nailing surface in position during nailing or where the desired location of the nail was beyond the normal arm reach of the user.
Although these safety and application deficiencies have been recognized to a limited extent in the prior art, the solutions to date have comprised either mechanical, magnetic or combined mechanical, magnetic hammer structures adapted to retain the nail on the head of the hammer. Examples of such prior art structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,876--Kurkjian, U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,821--Johnson, French Pat. No. 1,335,243--Favero, U.S. Pat. No. 1,477,833--Leak, U.S. Pat. NO. 937,987--Carlson, U.S. Pat. No. 745,973--Starrett, U.S. Pat. No. 83,897--Zimmerman, U.S. Pat. No. 569,161--Balsley, U.S. Pat. NO. 759,556--Scholtes, U.S. Pat. No. 418,539--Stark, U.S. Pat. No. 1,742,032--Gregersen, and U.S. Pat. No. 509,399--Richardson. The prior art mechanical hammerhead structures have typically been inapplicable to be retrofitted into conventional hammer designs due to their rather intricate cast or machined structure, have been cost prohibited for widespread use or have proven incapable of adequately holding the nail upon the hammerhead during initial impact of the hammerhead. Alternatively, most if not all of the magnetic hammerhead structures have proven deficient after prolonged use due to the natural gradual weakening of the magnetic flux force which has typically resulted in the hammerhead being incapable of accomplishing its intended function.
Thus, there exist substantial need in the art for an improved hammerhead having means for retaining the nail upon the hammerhead during initial driving of the nail which can be incorporated into conventional hammer designs at relatively low cost, and be properly utilized for prolonged period of use without decreasing in operational efficiency.